California has always been an environmental leader. We have been blazing new trails in environmental policy for decades, pushing our federal leaders to adopt initiatives nationwide. From laws that improve our air, ensure water quality, require cleaner cars and now cap global warming pollution, California continues to lead the way toward policies that promote a cleaner environment.
Our progressive leadership may not always have been welcome to national officials concerned with politics and special interests. But our proactive, commonsense approach is finally being embraced in Washington and around the globe.
We believe that there is a role for states and provinces in the global fight against climate change. While our federal governments negotiate the next global climate agreement, we continue to work with our partners around the world to share and implement strategies in areas such as standards and reporting that can bring immediate environmental and economic results. Our new partnership with the United Nations and leaders in Washington means that we can provide subnational support on the road to Copenhagen.
The debate over climate change is over in California. In 2005, Governor Schwarzenegger declared, “We know the science. We see the threat. And we know the time for action is now.” A year later the Governor committed the state to the first cap on greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Now, many states have joined the effort, creating regional initiatives that span North America.
The destination is clear. We must limit global temperature rises by reducing our greenhouse gas emissions. But we know we cannot do it alone. This is a global problem that requires a global solution and these regional initiatives help bring us closer to a shared solution that all world leaders can agree on in Copenhagen.
The key to getting successfully to our destination and beyond is shared rules and methods for measuring, reporting and verifying emissions. Efforts such as The Climate Registry, the Western Climate Initiative and the International Carbon Action Partnership, for example, are helping to develop the world’s first shared accounting standard to ensure that a tonne of carbon is measured similarly throughout the world.
While the US and China posture politically ahead of Copenhagen, California and other progressive developed subnational governments are sharing their successes with developing nations.
California has a strong partnership with China’s national government and in 2009 helped launch China’s first-ever voluntary emissions reporting inventory with the support of its national government. Now, the United Nations Development Programme is working with California and other subnational governments to create similar developed – developing relationships around the world.
With our hands-on help, developing nations can feel more comfortable about making a commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. If we demonstrate our success, then taking action will not seem such a daunting task.
California’s ongoing advocacy for progressive states and provinces, meanwhile, has led to drafting that recognizes the important role of subnational governments. The language was submitted into the official negotiating text for Copenhagen and now appears in more than 100 places. We are confident that the final accord will recognize and support the essential role that states and provinces play.
As part of the growing co-operation between federal and subnational government in the US and elsewhere, California is committed to supporting national leaders as they negotiate a new global agreement.
Linda Adams has been Secretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency since 2006.